Dr. Morgenthaler is a pioneer in the field of testosterone replacement therapy and was recently interviewed in a new journal, Androgens. I found this answer interesting.
What are some of the common misconceptions about testosterone deficiency and testosterone therapy?
Testosterone has really suffered from being a term that people use in everyday life as if they know what testosterone is, even if they do not, so that when we talk about stock traders getting excited, we talk about their testosterone rising, when in fact, we have no idea if that is true. We talk about male–male competition and aggression all being fueled by testosterone.
And there is a sense that everybody knows about testosterone, and for the most part, what they know about it is negative. That perspective is made even worse by ads that we see on TV or in the media that promote supplements that are, I suppose, allegedly intended to boost testosterone, to make men more “manly.”
And then finally, there is another area in which it is known that athletes and body builders have cheated using anabolic steroids to become stronger, add muscle bulk, et cetera, and all of this has a feel of something that is sleazy and improper. And the problem is that there really is a medical condition called testosterone deficiency, or hypogonadism, and it can affect not only the health but also the quality of life of many affected men and women.
What are some of the common misconceptions about testosterone deficiency and testosterone therapy?
Testosterone has really suffered from being a term that people use in everyday life as if they know what testosterone is, even if they do not, so that when we talk about stock traders getting excited, we talk about their testosterone rising, when in fact, we have no idea if that is true. We talk about male–male competition and aggression all being fueled by testosterone.
And there is a sense that everybody knows about testosterone, and for the most part, what they know about it is negative. That perspective is made even worse by ads that we see on TV or in the media that promote supplements that are, I suppose, allegedly intended to boost testosterone, to make men more “manly.”
And then finally, there is another area in which it is known that athletes and body builders have cheated using anabolic steroids to become stronger, add muscle bulk, et cetera, and all of this has a feel of something that is sleazy and improper. And the problem is that there really is a medical condition called testosterone deficiency, or hypogonadism, and it can affect not only the health but also the quality of life of many affected men and women.
